The second round of the 2026 Masters continued at Augusta National with several players trying to build momentum around the leaderboard, while Rory McIlroy remained the man to catch. Tommy Fleetwood and Patrick Reed were among those putting pressure on the leader, with day two bringing a steady stream of scoring chances and a few notable swings in form.
Wyndham Clark made one of the most eye-catching starts to the day. His birdie putt at the sixth appeared to be on line before drifting just enough to miss, leaving him at three under par for the tournament and three under for the round. Even so, he remained in a strong position and soon had another chance after hitting his tee shot at the sixth to the heart of the green, using the slope to move the ball toward the front-left flag. That left him with a birdie putt from around 18 feet.
Clark had earlier been on a run of five consecutive birdies, a spell that briefly made him one of the day’s hottest players. That sequence eventually came to an end, but he continued to look composed as he worked his way around Augusta.
There was also encouragement for Aaron Rai, the Par 3 Contest winner, who began his second round with calm assurance. He found the Tea Olive in regulation and left himself a long birdie chance that just shaved the hole. Rai remained at one under after a first-round 71 that had looked even better when he reached the turn in 33.
Im Sungjae and Freddie Couples find some momentum
Im Sungjae, who finished second on his Masters debut in November 2020, also began to make progress. Birdies at the seventh and eighth moved him into red figures for the day, leaving him three over par overall. It was a useful response as he looked to recover ground on the leaderboard.
Freddie Couples, meanwhile, offered a reminder of his staying power. The veteran birdied the second hole to move back to five over par, a small positive after a bruising stretch on Thursday. His earlier run at holes 15, 16 and 17 had been especially damaging, with a quadruple bogey followed by two double bogeys, but at 66 years old he continued to battle through the heat and the demands of Augusta.
A tournament still full of movement
The second day at Augusta National once again showed how quickly fortunes can change at the Masters. A player can look comfortable for long stretches and still be punished by one untimely miss, while others can recover a round with a short burst of birdies. Clark’s missed effort at six, Rai’s steady start, Sungjae’s recovery and Couples’ small gain all reflected the variety that has already marked the week.
With the field spread across the course and the leaderboard still taking shape, attention remained on the frontrunners. McIlroy’s position at the top kept the pressure high, but the names chasing him were not letting him get away. Fleetwood and Reed were among the players keeping the race alive, and the early part of day two suggested there would be plenty of movement before the round was complete.
As play went on, Augusta continued to reward patience and punish hesitation. The familiar challenge of the course was on full display, with each birdie chance carrying real value and each mistake threatening to alter the picture. For now, the Masters remained finely poised, with the opening stages of round two offering several reminders that nothing at Augusta comes easily.
